E-911 center gets $3.6 million grant for move, equipment

Published: Monday, July 22, 2013 at 5:57 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, July 22, 2013 at 5:57 p.m.

Henderson County Sheriff's Communications has received a $3.6 million grant to relocate the E-911 center and replace all outdated equipment.

The North Carolina 911 Board voted unanimously June 28 to award the funds. The grant, if approved by the board of commissioners, should be enough to cover the entire cost of the project, according to county Engineer Marcus Jones.

The county's new 911 communications hub is set to move to its new home across the street in the Law Enforcement Center. A study by GeoComm Consulting in February 2011 estimated the move would cost about $1,689,080.

Jones said they are working with consultants now to develop a project scope that should meet all grant requirements and include all updated costs.

The county's call center has operated at 100 N. Grove St. in Hendersonville for 16 years. Workers have had to contend with cracks and leaks and diminished security at the building while working with equipment past its prime, E911 Communications Director Lisha Corn said in February.

The department annually fields more than 199,000 calls and dispatches more than 124,000 calls for service in about 2,700 square feet of space. Additional personnel and workstations will be needed to meet state 911 Board standards for call-taking and dispatching efficiency in 2014, Assistant County Manager David Whitson told the board in February.

Earlier this year, commissioners agreed to move the center to available space in the 20,000-square-foot basement of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office. The center will be more than double the size of the current location.

“The main goal of this relocation project is to ensure that the citizens of and visitors to Henderson County receive the highest quality of service when they experience an emergency,” according to a release from the Sheriff's Office.

The relocation project will take about 12 to 18 months to complete. According to Corn, the scope of the project will also include replacement of all equipment that has reached its end of life, is without vendor support or is technically outdated; integration of “Next Generation” technologies that will allow the 911 center to communicate transfer and share data across jurisdictional boundaries, enable geospatial call routing and receive text messages when that service becomes available; provide a more secure facility that meets proposed 911 Board standards and industry-best practices for the installation, performance, operation and maintenance of 911 centers; and, provide a facility with appropriate work space and room for future growth.

“Much of our equipment is well past service life and parts no longer produced must be obtained through salvage,” Sheriff Charles McDonald said in the release. “It is fortunate that commissioners and planners, knowing that the Communications Center would eventually need to be consolidated into the new Sheriff's Office, built the current sheriff's office with that space available. This space allows us to be better able to meet security standards, upgrade obsolete equipment, and consolidate critical personnel and resources.”

The Henderson County E-911 Center is responsible for providing dispatch services for four law enforcement agencies, 30 fire stations and four EMS stations.

“This year the N.C. 911 Board awarded over $11 million to Public Safety Answering Points in North Carolina. The award for Henderson County was the second-largest in the state,” according to the release.

<p>Henderson County Sheriff's Communications has received a $3.6 million grant to relocate the E-911 center and replace all outdated equipment. </p><p>The North Carolina 911 Board voted unanimously June 28 to award the funds. The grant, if approved by the board of commissioners, should be enough to cover the entire cost of the project, according to county Engineer Marcus Jones.</p><p>The county's new 911 communications hub is set to move to its new home across the street in the Law Enforcement Center. A study by GeoComm Consulting in February 2011 estimated the move would cost about $1,689,080. </p><p>Jones said they are working with consultants now to develop a project scope that should meet all grant requirements and include all updated costs. </p><p>The county's call center has operated at 100 N. Grove St. in Hendersonville for 16 years. Workers have had to contend with cracks and leaks and diminished security at the building while working with equipment past its prime, E911 Communications Director Lisha Corn said in February.</p><p>The department annually fields more than 199,000 calls and dispatches more than 124,000 calls for service in about 2,700 square feet of space. Additional personnel and workstations will be needed to meet state 911 Board standards for call-taking and dispatching efficiency in 2014, Assistant County Manager David Whitson told the board in February.</p><p>Earlier this year, commissioners agreed to move the center to available space in the 20,000-square-foot basement of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office. The center will be more than double the size of the current location. </p><p>“The main goal of this relocation project is to ensure that the citizens of and visitors to Henderson County receive the highest quality of service when they experience an emergency,” according to a release from the Sheriff's Office. </p><p>The relocation project will take about 12 to 18 months to complete. According to Corn, the scope of the project will also include replacement of all equipment that has reached its end of life, is without vendor support or is technically outdated; integration of “Next Generation” technologies that will allow the 911 center to communicate transfer and share data across jurisdictional boundaries, enable geospatial call routing and receive text messages when that service becomes available; provide a more secure facility that meets proposed 911 Board standards and industry-best practices for the installation, performance, operation and maintenance of 911 centers; and, provide a facility with appropriate work space and room for future growth.</p><p>“Much of our equipment is well past service life and parts no longer produced must be obtained through salvage,” Sheriff Charles McDonald said in the release. “It is fortunate that commissioners and planners, knowing that the Communications Center would eventually need to be consolidated into the new Sheriff's Office, built the current sheriff's office with that space available. This space allows us to be better able to meet security standards, upgrade obsolete equipment, and consolidate critical personnel and resources.” </p><p>The Henderson County E-911 Center is responsible for providing dispatch services for four law enforcement agencies, 30 fire stations and four EMS stations. </p><p>“This year the N.C. 911 Board awarded over $11 million to Public Safety Answering Points in North Carolina. The award for Henderson County was the second-largest in the state,” according to the release.</p><p>Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>